Forms - How not to be ?
Vehicle Registration and personal Property Tax Return from. City of Alexandria, Va Finance Department. 
Note: Its a web form.
Leave your opinion on improvements and usability ideas.
All the comments ( Usability suggestions ) will be consolidated and updated here.
Suggest Usability !!!
Tags:
Forms
12 comments:
This design is usable and neat.
It doesn't matter if Label is below or top or left or right to the the field.
The label should be particular close to a field so that the user can relate a field to a particular label quite easy
The Groups is made the large forms split into the simple.
Only First Group, the field and label is bit far. That's has to be fix.
Is this an online form or a paper form? If it is a paper form then some comments below may not apply, have assumed it's for online.
There is no key to signify that the star relates to mandatory fields. Although we'd probably consider this a common enough feature to omit, it's not!
Am unsure of how long the Social security number in the states is or license number, but if it's anything like the UK equivalents then that field is not big enough to fit it all in and be able to see all of what you've typed. There's no space issue here so make the field bigger.
The title of each section is a little too close to the edge of the form, for easier scanning there should be a bigger space which aids the user in processing that information.
Text size could do with being bigger, or offer an option for the user to make the text size bigger if needed (this option needs to be in bigger text ;-)
First impressions are that the form is neat and simple except for the Contact Information section at the bottom.
Here are my suggestions for improvement:
1. If this design is for a Paper form (rather than a form to be filled in online) then I agree that the labels should probably be above the fields so that they're not obscured while being filled in.
2. Making the size of the field boxes proportional to their expected content is good but for neatness, try to make them at least as wide as their label. Also, make sure they are large enough. I hate filling in forms where the address (or email) boxes are too small to actually fill in.
3. Imagine vertical lines running down the page and align field boxes & labels to them. This produces a more consistent looking page that is less overwhelming for users. In particular, each of the 4 name field sections should be consistent with each other and line up.
4. I think some sort of grid system and box alignment will really help to make the Contact Information section look less cluttered too.
Hope that helps,
Jonathan
1) Suffix should be not a text feild may be a drop down like ( see image )
2) SSN should not ge a text feild again it should be divided as ( see image )
3) Date leased should have a small date image where user can search for the date from the drop down and by clicking on the date the date should be inserted into the feild
4) Again phone number should not be a text feild it should be like ( see image )
URL TO see image
http://www.laksinu.com/outbox/index_form.html
general
1) grouping is not there
2) what does "*" stand for ? ( Software people know its required feild how can a lay man know that ? )
laksinu
http://www.laksinu.com
Apart from the usability & design issue discussed above. There are few Accessibility issues in this design.
1. The form is approached in different way. Screen reader reads the label first & then the form element.
2. Seems to be like only one table is used for whole form. By showing each group in separate table, summary can be defined.
3. Spacing between heading and form label are equal and its not forming a group.
KiKi,
Thanks for your comment on few valuable points on form elements, spacing standards and font styles.
~ RaJ
Laksinu,
Your detailed approach on form elements are nice.
~ RaJ
Ravi,
Your Design thinking is always intersting.
Jonathan,
Your approach on design template will really enhace the design and as you said form elements are also need some tinkering.
Dear All,
Am waiting for few more comments to provide a consolidated reports on the form. I have kept the deadline as Apr.18.
Thanks for your comment
great Raj... appreciate your time and work..
-laksinu
Thanks Laksinu comments and support. Am writing consolidated update on how forms to be and updating here. Keep visiting and commenting and suggest usability!!!
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